The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-24
DOWN THE FLORIDA SOUTHERN.
Correspondence Of the Pulatha Ne,c-.

At Leesburg the Florida Southern
Railway branches off toward the st.
Johns River, touching that stream at As
tor. 1t is but a short run after leaving
l.eesburg, until the train is skirting Lake
Griffin, one of the chain of lakes which
are drained by the Ocklawaha River.
Before the train had gone two miles, the
lake burst into view, with the big white
caps rolling high and fast. Cabbage pal
mettos stud the shore of this lake, and
the cars run among them until the road
cuts across a narrow peninsular and is
lost i'm the hammock for a mile. Then
comes another view of the lake. big
gator rolls lazily off a log and the train
pulls up at Lanier, a picturesque station,
standing alone on the shore of the lake.
Soon the road leads again into the thick,
tangled hammock, and a last glimpse OF
Lake Griffin is obtained down "A narrow
road which led straight toward the
water and ended between two tow
ering palmettOes-
A short run through deadenings of
oaks, forming huge cornfields, which are
| almost completely shaded by fine pal
mettoes growing naturally and almost in
geometrical lines and figures. All along
| the road to Lisbon the way is lined by
| trailing vines, passion flowers, grape
vines and wild morning glOries- Back
of these are huge deadenings planted
with thrifty orange trees
The train leaves Lake Griffin at Or
| ange Bend, and makes off due east to
Lisbon, crossing the Ocklawaha River
| ON pile bridges The river has two or
three separate and distinct channels at
this place, and all along these channels,
both up stream and down, are boats
filled with fishermen, busy catching fish
of all kinds that frequent Florida
| streams.
| Here comes one of the prettiest views
to be seen in Florida. Away to the east,
| and Just a little south of east, over
Goose Prairie and way beyond Lake Eus-
tbs, the city of Eustis shows up in a most
| advantageous manner. 1t does not look
like Florida 1t is not customary to see
a city from hill top here, but that is
/ Just the appearance which Eustis pre-
SCENTS, with this exception: Eustis is
built on hillside, and therefore appears
as if spread out for the behOlders APP
prevail. In fact, the range OF hills in
and beyond Eustis does not look like
Florida. 1t looks like Northern view,
with its lake and hills.
The train it now rafting across Grand
Island, the great vegetable farm. There
is a glimpse on the left of Lake Yale.
On the right 40-acre tomato patch,
then a belt of pine woods, then another
forty acres of tomatoes, while ''truck
patches" are to be seen in every direc-
ton.
Just as Fort Mason comes i'm view, a
tOot from the whistle sends all the brake
men a twirling at the brakes, until they
look as twisted up as a rattan thicket. Ii
| takes two more toots on the whistle to
straighten them out again, lust as the
train stops on the pier jutting out into
Lake Eustis.
Fort Mason wore quite metropolitan
air, which was impaired by the presence
of dozen goats beside the Lake View
House. Those goats were thorough
breds. They Were serenely making theil
supper on tin cans, railroad spikes and q
dessert of cotton waste from the cal
wheel boxes.
A pile-driver behind the combined gro
Gerry, post office and furniture store, the
| broad expanse of Lake Eustis the docks
and railway terminus, gave the town Z
a decidedly New Jersey look. and it only
needed White Star steamship to com
plete the picture of Jersey City, N j
Snowden's assorted store seemed to bt
quarantined by an old COW, who stood
vigilant guard by the front door, and
only paused to take bite now and ther
of her lunch o. old paper and barre
hoops.
The train soon backed out on y, ano
waited for he train from Astor. A
thunder shower off i'm the northeast NUT
tered and grumbled, the lightning flick
cred aimlessly around trying i'm vain t.
determine which of the big dead woods
to hit first
Here a car full of darky laborers wa!
set off. to proceed by the next train t.
| Astor, where certain work is in progress
All along the lake are many dizzy palms
rugged live oaks, and most agonizins
dead ones. Somehow, these dead an,
wierd looking, old oak trees seem t.
give a fellow the horrors, and make hin
as darby said feel fearful
Eustis is a pretty town, and, as befor
stated, lies prettily on a pretty lake
Here a darky dumped the mail bag
into a building, where a lady with
flaming red apron, which contraste'
finely with the darky's black face ant
cleaning teeth and eyes.
The steamboat Dispatch, of jackson
vile, lies at the wharf. together will
three or four sloops, which display tn
most alarming amount of standing rig
ging imaginable, while off towards TIN
east, in an opposite direction, Eustis lie
pretty and quiet her houses white
church spires, and tall moss-draped pin
trees, showing splendidly against TIN
black pile of thunder clouds which wer
following us along.
The station of Mount Homer stand
alone in the woods with but a solitar,
house to watch it. Here the conductO
, dropped n note to secure which a bare